


lucky (we're in love)

by a_popcorn_kernel



Series: poppy's playlist [6]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Kissing, Ladynoir | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng as Ladybug, Love Confessions, Not a lot of angst, Tears, but only one lol at the end, just some
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:14:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26642029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_popcorn_kernel/pseuds/a_popcorn_kernel
Summary: "Chat, you were wrong."His eyes snapped open, and he took in Ladybug in all her teary-eyed beauty. "What?" His voice was faint to his own ears. He wondered if Ladybug had even heard it."You're wrong," she repeated, a little more firmly this time. "Because I… I do return your feelings. I reciprocate. I like you, I love you."or: self indulgent ladynoir teary confession fluff
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: poppy's playlist [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1686544
Comments: 24
Kudos: 117





	lucky (we're in love)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sae_what](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sae_what/gifts).



> happy birthday sae!! you're such a lovely person (in terms of both looks and personality) and you deserve the world except i don't have the world so i'm just giving you ladynoir haha. hope you enjoy!!]
> 
> a huge thank you to cookie ([iwannacookie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/iwannacookie)) for the beta-ing!!

Chat Noir leaped through Paris, running, vaulting, jumping his way to the Eiffel Tower. It was time for one of his and Ladybug's nightly patrols, and he was going to be _late_. 

The tower loomed before him. He quickly scaled the criss-crossing iron beams, his magically enhanced abilities keeping him sure-footed on the slippery, coppery metal. As he scrambled up the structure, his tail flicked erratically. He couldn't help it—it was a nervous tic of his. And he was late. So, _so_ late.

And it was all thanks to that blasted photoshoot that had gone on for what had seemed like an eternity.

He hated being late. Hated that his schedule was stuffed to the brim with all these jobs and responsibilities. Hated his lack of freedom. Hated how he'd been kept behind overtime, the photoshoot stealing precious seconds from his time with Ladybug.

And yet, the stress and frustration that lined his face slowly faded as he climbed the tower, the slight burn in his muscles somehow cathartic. Wind whipped his hair as his body relished the exertion of the familiar ascent. 

And when he finally reached the summit, he was rewarded with the sight of Ladybug.

She stood with a hand on her hip, eyebrow cocked with her trademark confidence. Her hair ribbons fluttered in the wind, little red blurs in the moonlit night. 

He smiled involuntarily. She looked beautiful. As always.

And she was glaring at him.

"What are you smiling at? You're late," she huffed, crossing her arms. 

Chat pursed his lips, trying to stifle a giddy grin at her reprimand. She probably wouldn't appreciate it.

"Sorry, m'lady," he said, walking closer to stand with her. He twirled his baton, then planted it in front of him so he could place his weight on it. "Got held up."

"Held up? How so?"

"It's a bit of a personal detail," Chat said cautiously. He knew Ladybug didn't exactly encourage sharing personal details such as these. Besides, if he told her about his photoshoots, it wouldn't be so hard for her to track him down. There weren't that many teenage supermodels. "Are you sure you want to know?"

He hoped she didn't notice just how much he wished she wanted to. 

"Um…" She creased a brow in thought. Probably she was weighing over the pros and cons of her request. "...I mean, are you okay with sharing?"

His eyes widened. Oh. He… he hadn't expected this.

That didn't mean he wasn't going to take this chance.

"Of course!" he blurted out. He bit the inside of his cheek, wincing at his volume. "I mean, of course."

And Ladybug lit up—there was no better word for it. 

Her face glowed in the moonlight, silver on her skin and rose in her cheeks. She smiled so bright that he swore her teeth gave off their own light. And her eyes. They sparkled like little stars, filled to the brim with happiness. 

He could stare at her forever, wondering what secrets were held in those eyes as deep and blue as the ocean. Wondering if maybe, just maybe, her eyes were not just filled with joy, but also with affection.

"Great!" Ladybug strolled past him and whipped out her yo-yo, interrupting his wishful thinking. (Because that was all it was, he admitted to himself.) "Tell me about it while we patrol?"

"Sure," he said, content to follow her lead. Content to follow her anywhere, really.

Ladybug secured her yo-yo to a random rooftop, and off they went.

As they traversed the city, Chat couldn't help but wander back to his previous line of thought. He'd thought he'd glimpsed maybe the slightest hint of… well, attraction. 

But then again, it could very well be his imagination. 

Chat sighed as the clouds shrouded the moon, and the world grew a little less brighter without its faint light.

Biting the inside of his cheek, he shoved his prior thought aside. It was dangerous to hope like that.

He almost laughed at himself. It was rather too late for that, though. 

He'd long fallen head over heels for her, and it had only grown with each and every thing she did. The way her freckles spread across her cheeks like constellations he'd gladly spend a lifetime studying. The way her eyes crinkled up when she smiled at him. The way she stood up to akumas, fearless and confident in her strategies. 

Ladybug was more than a crush. She meant much more to him than that. She was, first and foremost, one of his best friends. Someone he'd gladly, easily trust with his life. Maybe his best friend. She knew him so well, and him, her.

And that was how she knew something had been troubling him, he guessed.

"Hey, Chat."

Chat leapt over a chimney, crouching as he landed. Then he stood and faced her. "Yes, m'lady?" 

She tilted his head. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm—" Sighing, he hung his head in defeat. "I'm… not okay."

He plopped down on the rooftop, hugging his legs close to his chest. Ladybug followed, sitting cross-legged across him with a worried face.

It wasn't just his restrictive schedule that had been on his mind lately. He had found himself constantly questioning himself. For loving someone who couldn't reciprocate. For loving someone who couldn't possibly love him back.

And it _hurt_. It hurt to know he didn't have a chance, that a mystery boy had stolen her heart before he'd even had the opportunity to lay claim to it.

"It's about, well, you," he finally admitted. "I mean, that isn't the whole of it. But mostly I've been thinking about my feelings for you."

Ladybug's eyes widened, but before she could speak, Chat had already continued.

"I know you don't like me, not in that way," he hastily assured, and he averted his eyes. Chat couldn't bring himself to meet her gaze again. "And I'm sorry for bringing this up again. For making you reject me again. But you wanted to know why I was feeling down, and that's… that's most of it."

Fidgeting imperceptibly, Chat bit his lip as he stared down at the roof he stood on. "Is it bad that I like you so much?" he asked his feet softly, brokenly. "That I wish that you could possibly return my feelings?"

Something dripped onto the shingles by his feet. There was a sudden wetness on his cheek. He was crying, he realized.

Sniffling weakly, he knuckled his eyes, trying to wipe away the tears. "Sorry," he mumbled. "I… you don't need me pressuring you to like me too. I won't talk about this again."

Red shifted in the corner of his eye. Then all of a sudden he was wrapped in her arms, at home in her warm embrace. He buried his face into her shoulder without hesitation. Ladybug sighed sadly, and her hand went to rub circles into his back.

" _Chaton_..." she murmured shakily, sending a shiver up his spine, " _Chaton_ , I'm sorry. So sorry…"

He let a few more tears go, knowing his Lady wouldn't judge him for crying. Lifting his head to finally meet her gaze again, he managed a small, sad smile as he looked into her eyes. "It's"—he sniffed—"it's not your fault, m'lady."

Ladybug's eyes filled with grief, and soon, she too was tearing up. _But it is!_ her pained expression screamed silently.

"No, don't cry." Grabbing her face, he pulled her closer until their foreheads met. Feeling water run down his cheeks, he whispered, "Please, don't cry, bug."

"H— how can I not?" She sniffled, and her fingers spasmed at his back, abruptly pausing in their soothing motions. "Chat… Chat, I—" 

He shut his eyes, feeling his eyelashes ghost against her skin. Preparing himself for what came next. "Yes, Ladybug?"

He expected an apology. A rejection. Just like she had done countless times before.

But instead, she said—

"Chat, you were wrong."

His eyes snapped open, and he took in Ladybug in all her teary-eyed beauty. "What?" His voice was faint to his own ears. He wondered if Ladybug had even heard it.

"You're wrong," she repeated, a little more firmly this time. "Because I… I _do_ return your feelings. I reciprocate. I like you, I love you."

She was sobbing now, and some of her tears splashed on his face, their foreheads still pressed together.

Ladybug clenched her fists on his chest, slumping against him, and he gently lowered the two of them to the rooftop. 

"And I didn't tell you because I didn't know _how_ , and I should've told you because now you're sad and _I'm_ the reason you're sad and I don't _want_ you to be sad!" 

All the while, he trembled with unbelief. She said she loved him?

He couldn’t fully believe it. Not yet. Not when the ghosts of her countless rejections were mocking him inside. _You probably heard her wrong. As if she really loved you,_ they taunted. _As if she meant it that way._

But he forced himself to speak. To confirm it for himself. Even if the answer broke him.

“M’lady...”

She looked up, liquid brimming in her eyes. He thought she looked beautiful, even then. “Yes?” she asked, her voice trembling under the weight of tears.

“You love me?” His voice shook.

“I…” She paused, and he feared for his heart. But then she broke into a smile, her joy shining through her tears. “Yes, Chat Noir. I do.”

His heartbeat accelerated, soaring into the stars.

“You— you really do?” he asked hesitantly, the words spoken so softly it was almost like he was afraid that the force of them would shatter this new… _thing_ into pieces. Like it would shatter the fragility of this moment.

“I just said so, kitty, what more do you want me to say?” She managed a laugh, tears still running down her cheeks. Palming her tears away, she whispered, “I love you. Okay? I love you.”

She laughed again, louder. “I love you!”

And it felt so relieving, to know she felt the same. It felt like an open door into something new and something strange, and it brimmed with so much possibility and _hope._

Chat couldn't help the sob that burst from him. “I— I love you too, my lady.”

Ladybug grinned, tears still spilling out of her eyes. “I know.”

They laughed.

Chat bit his lip. “Can I…”

Ladybug's grin grew wider. “But of course.” 

She leaned in to kiss him, and tears became little more than an afterthought.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm also on tumblr at [@apopcornkernel](https://apopcornkernel.tumblr.com)~


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